Ravens seeing "different gear" from Marquise Brown in recent practices

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — One of the biggest story lines for the Ravens’ trip to Philadelphia to practice against the Eagles ahead of the third preseason game will be the status of wide receiver Marquise Brown.
Head coach John Harbaugh said the 2019 first-round pick practiced fully Saturday and would “hopefully … be good” to practice fully against the Eagles this week, which could pave the way for his preseason debut Thursday in what’s expected to be the final exhibition action for quarterback Lamar Jackson and most other starters. The health of Brown’s surgically-repaired left foot remains paramount, of course, but the speedy rookie building an on-field rapport with his starting quarterback is becoming a greater priority with the season opener in Miami just three weeks away.
Brown began taking part in full-team drills Aug. 10 after being brought along very slowly over the first 2 1/2 weeks of training camp.
“We’re giving him more every day. I think the plan was the right plan,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “This past week, we really saw a different gear from him, and that’s exciting. Now, we have to build some chemistry with him and Lamar.
“His style is a little different. He can kick that gear in. You better put some mustard on that ball.”
Slot cornerback Tavon Young continues to weigh his options for a disc issue in his neck that could keep him out for the entire season, but defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has no shortage of potential replacements at the nickel position, even if they don’t provide the same upside or versatility. Cyrus Jones has started at the position in each of the first two preseason games to mixed reviews, but it appears unlikely he’ll hold the job exclusively at this point.
Every game situation could bring a different defensive player to the slot, which is the benefit of having depth in the secondary.
“Cyrus is the No. 1 nickel right now, but we’ll just wait and see what happens when we game-plan it,” Martindale said. “Brandon Carr has been in there. ‘Double A’ (Anthony Averett) has been in there. We can put different guys in there, and it’s matchup — what we think is the best. We put Chuck [Clark] and DeShon [Elliott] in there. It’s just a matchup thing.”
In addition to Young, 13 other players were absent from Sunday’s practice with cornerback Marlon Humphrey, wide receiver Miles Boykin, and outside linebackers Pernell McPhee and Shane Ray being new absences. Others continuing to be sidelined included running backs Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon (knee), wide receiver Seth Roberts, offensive lineman Marshal Yanda (foot), Randin Crecelilus, and Greg Senat, cornerback Iman Marshall (thigh), and inside linebackers Chris Board (concussion) and Nicholas Grigsby.
Inside linebackers Patrick Onwuasor and Kenny Young returned to practice after sitting out Saturday’s session.
The Ravens traveled to Philadelphia Sunday evening ahead of joint practices Monday and Tuesday. The Eagles’ 4-3 base defense and widely-aligned edge rushers should provide a valuable test for Jackson and a young offense this week.
“They get out there in those wide nines, and they’re coming off the edge. They bring it. They’re a real penetrating, run-to-the-ball defense,” Roman said. “It’s just a different style, and to be able to practice against those different nuances that you’re going to see throughout the season [is beneficial].
“It’s a great advantage for the guys to [have played against] more of a 3-4 structure [against Green Bay] last week, more of an eight-man front, 4-3 [against Jacksonville] the week before, and now they get to play against that 4-3 stack with those wide nines.”